34 Random Acts of Kindness to Try Today!
In honor of World Kindness Day on November 13th, we are sharing several ideas that you can safely try with your family – many can be done from home or within your neighborhood!
- It’s important to have compassion for yourself, too! Make time for one act of self-care each day, like going on a walk or eating a healthy, homemade meal.
- Help a loved one with something they’ve been struggling to complete, like homework or a big work project.
- Give a hug to someone in your immediate family or in your household.
- Write a note to someone you care about containing the top 10 reasons you love them.
- Check-in with a friend or family member you haven’t heard from in a while to make sure they’re doing well.
- Write an encouraging note with sidewalk chalk outside to brighten the day of people who see it.
- Compliment a loved one in the morning to make their day bright as it starts.
- Smile or give a friendly nod at a stranger you see while on a walk or doing errands.
- Send a card in the mail to someone you miss.
- Leave a note in your mailbox to thank your mail carrier for their hard work.
- Thank your child’s teacher for their advice and support.
- Call a loved one for no reason in particular—just to say hi.
- Tell a joke to someone and make them laugh.
- Hold the door open for someone while running errands.
- Mow the lawn, rake leaves, or shovel snow for a neighbor.
- Leave some treats or a small gift on a neighbor’s doorstep.
- If you have old clothes or toys you can do without, donate them to charity.
- Gather up any recyclable items like plastic or paper you have sitting around and take them to a recycling plant to treat the earth kindly.
- Make a simple bird feeder and hang it outdoors for local wildlife to enjoy.
- If you can afford it and are comfortable doing so, pay for someone’s order at a drive through or grocery store.
- If you’re in line at the grocery store and have some extra time, let someone else go in front of you.
- Ask a loved one how their day went, and if they’re struggling, find ways to help.
- Place sticky notes with encouraging words in places for strangers or loved ones to find them.
- While making dinner, double your recipe (if you can) and send a meal to someone in need.
- Forgive someone who you’ve been struggling with for a while—if not to be kind to them, then to be kind to yourself.
- Send a care package to someone you miss.
- Send someone flowers from a store or (even better) freshly picked from your backyard.
- Donate any extra canned food to a food bank.
- If you have a favorite restaurant or small business, leave a positive review online to help them during the quarantine.
- Take your pet (or your neighbor’s pet) for a walk around their favorite park.
- Pick up trash around your neighborhood or a nearby park.
- Leave some spare change in a vending machine with a note so the next person who uses it can get a treat on the house.
- Donate, volunteer, or raise awareness for a charity that helps a cause you’re passionate about.
- Buy some pre-wrapped treats and deliver them to local healthcare workers (Note: call ahead first to make sure this is allowed).
For more information on helping your child develop kindness visit: https://email.nationalgeographic.com/H/2/v60000017b6f258ff2c16c0e6e966a3578/bd571973-56ad-49b6-81a6-557663a2f97e/HTML